Another less-publicized aspect of the ad flap: the use of paid actors—including two playing firefighters with fire hats and uniforms in what looks like a fire station. "Where the hell did they get those guys?" cracked Harold Schaitberger, president of the International Association of Fire Fighters, which has endorsed John Kerry, when he first saw the ads. (A union spokesman said the shots prompted jokes that the fire hats looked like the plastic hats "from a birthday party.") "There's many reasons not to use real firemen," retorted one Bush media adviser. "Mainly, its cheaper and quicker."

& here is the redacted version:

Another, less publicized aspect of the ad flap: Everyone but the firefighters were paid actors. The firefighters posing in a firehouse was "stock" film footage of volunteer firefighters -- shot and available for purchase to the general public.

that's quite a significant change, with no little [ed] comments or errata notes to disclaim that a change was made. first there are two fake firefighters, and now there are none?

i suppose it's possible that this is an actual correction, & they were all real firefighters. but if so i would expect an editor's note/correction at the bottom of the page. the fact that there isn't one there is mightily suspicious.